Winning Men 



One 



One 



H.WELLINGTON 




Class __BU^S_I_ 
Book .-lijb- 



GopFight]^^, 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



WINNING MEN ONE BY ONE 



WINNING MEN 
ONE BY ONE 



A. By 



hI WELLINGTON WOOD 
n 

"Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one con- 
vert him ; let him know, that he which converteth the sinner 
from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, 
and shall hide a multitude of sins."— James S • '<)> *?• 



The Sunday School Times Company 
Philadelphia 



t'l^og:! 



copvright, x908, by h. wellington wood 
Entered at Stationers' Hall, London, England, 1908 

All Rights Reserved t /* f) 



MBRARY of CONailisI 
I 'Two Copies Hooiivs^a 



Mm 1908 

■^Ofi^nHtn entry 

UIMV. 



(. Ofi^nHfii entry , 

=^6 7 i^^f 



'^ vi 



^ 



The Sunday School Times Company 
Philadelphia, Pa. 

Christian Workers Depot 
22 Paternoster Row, London, E. C. England 



TO 

Charles M. Alexander 

Whose activity in the cause of Christ and whose 

success as a soul winner have been such a 

stimulus and help to me 



Foreword 

IN issuing this volume of incidents from 
my own experience in winning men for 
Christ, I merely fulfil the desire expressed 
by many friends to place them on record. 

I was encouraged to do personal work by a 
Christian business man who is the founder of 
one of the world's greatest manufacturing es- 
tablishments. He had won to Christ many in 
his employ, and scores of others whom he met. 
I remember well that the words, ''God pays 
the best wages,'' and, ''seek ye first the king- 
dom of God," were frequently on his lips. 
The fact that he never lost an opportunity to 
speak a word in season has always been an 
inspiration to me. 

I do not claim any merit for this work, but 

ascribe to God that honor and glory which 

7 



Foreword 

belong to Him. My prayer is that God may 

use this simple eflFort in arousing men and 

women everywhere to more earnest eflFort in 

the work of soul winning. 

8 



PAGE 



CONTENTS 

Using Opportunities at Home 

How a Beginning was Made 13 

Winning a Business Man 14 

The Man Who Lost his Pocketbook 16 

Winning a Dancing-master 18 

At a Baseball Game 19 

In a Busy Office 21 

The Conversion of a Family 23 

A Son and his Father 27 

Seven Traveling Men Accept Christ 29 

Doing Personal Work with a Grave-Digger . . 32 

On the Sidewalk 34 

A Definite Prescription 37 

A Physician Reclaimed 40 

In the Barber*s Chair 41 

An Old Business Associate 42 

In the Restaurant 44 

The Man on a Bicycle 45 

A Singer with a New Song 47 

At Evangelistic Meetings 

Letting Others Starve 51 

A Chief Justice's Son 51 

Caught on the Wing 52 

9 



Contents 



PAGE 



From Tramp to Christian Salesman 54 

Conversion of an Engineer 56 

A Gambler from the Transvaal 60 

Winning the Janitor of the Church 61 

Dealing with a Saloon-keeper • . . 64 

At Threescore and Ten 67 

Failure — and Success 70 

A Traveler Seeking Souls 

A Gambler in the West 75 

Four Soldiers of the Grenadier Guards . . . . ^J 

When the Berths Got Mixed 79 

While Crossing the St. Lawrence 82 

On the PuUman Car 88 

With a Catholic Bishop , 94 

A Champion Middle-weight Pugilist 96 

Convincing an Infidel 99 

A Converted Thief 103 

At the Railway Station 107 

In the Gymnasium no 

The Conversion of a Drunkard 112 

The Man With a Dog 113 

A Police Officer 115 

Interesting the Conductor 116 

10 



USING OPPORTUNITIES AT HOME 



How a Beginning was Made 

IWEIvIy remember the time my hand was 
first laid on a man for the purpose of 
pointing him to God. It was at the Bethesda 
Mission in Philadelphia. I picked out a man 
who was a noted character, to whom I thought 
of speaking. Seeking him I said to him: 

**You are about thirty-eight years old, — 
aren't you? How much of that time have 
you been serving the Devil?'* 

*' About twenty years," he answered. 

'* Well, I want you to serve the Lord Jesus 
Christ the rest of your life. Will you?" I 
put my whole soul into the question. 

*' I will ! " was the ringing reply. 

I can never forget the revelation that came 

to me at that moment. It seemed to me that, 

even if I had never seen a Bible, my heart 

would have told me then there was a God who 

loves men, a Christ who saves sinners. 

13 



Winning Men One by One 

For some years it has been my custom to 
speak about Christ to at least one man a day, 
and what joy has been mine when one after 
another of those with whom I have the oppor- 
tunity of dealing accept Christ as their Sav- 
iour ! 

Sometimes it is thought to be a difficult 
thing to begin such a conversation with a 
stranger. But it has been my experience that, 
to the man who is looking for it, the method 
of approach suggests itself very readily. 



Winning a Business Man 

I WAS attending a city church when I 
spoke to a business man, noted for tell- 
ing obscene stories, whom I had known for 
twenty-five years. I was surprised at his pres- 
ence in the church, for while he had been 

14 



Using Opportunities at Home 

raised in an excellent family, he had not fre- 
quented a church for many years. 

I spoke a few words to him, and then said : 

* ' Suppose we walk down the street to- 
gether." 

We walked together as far as his home. 
Arrived there, he invited me in. As soon as 
he was inside, he broke down, and told me 
that his wife had recently died, and that every- 
thing in the home seemed to speak of her. 
Finally he led us to the room where she died. 

*' Let us kneel here and thank God for his 
goodness to us," I said. 

When rising, I added : 

**My friend, you know Jesus Christ loves 
you and has given himself for you, and you 
ought to be a Christian. ' ' 

Two days later, I called on him once more, 
and said: 

**At the next Communion you ought to 

come into the church. No one can help you 

IS 



Winning Men One by One 

more than the Master. Although your wife 
has gone to that undiscovered country from 
which no traveler has ever returned, and can- 
not return to you, you can go to her." 

I then told him that I would send the pas- 
tor of the church to see him and talk over the 
importance of his becoming a member. 

The Communion which followed two weeks 
later found this man standing before God's 
people taking Jesus Christ as his Lord and 
Saviour, and promising to serve him the 
balance of his life. 

May 28, 1906, 12 :35 p. M. 
Age 62, 



The Man Who Lost his Pocketbook 

THE man who is eager to do personal 
work for Christ will see opportunities 
at every turn. At one time the finding of 

a pocketbook on the pavement suggested a 

16 



Using Opportunities at Home 

possibility. In addition to money, there was 
in it a letter, which I later learned was from 
the owner's mother, and several pawn-tickets. 
I wrote to an address found in the book, and 
asked the owner to call. When he responded 
to the invitation I asked him about his life, 
and found that he had been living among bad 
companions, and had refused to go home to a 
mother who was pleading for his return. After 
telling him of my own conversion, and what 
it had meant to me to have Christ for my com- 
panion for twenty-five years, I urged him to 
become a Christian. 

** You are the first man who ever asked me 
to be a Christian," he said, ^'God helping 
me, I will take Christ as my Saviour." 

Some time later I had a letter from him. He 
was with his mother, and was living a Chris- 
tian life. 

February 20, 1907, 



17 



Winning Men One by One 

Winning a Dancing-master 

THE reception-room of a dancing-master 
would not seem a likely place to win 
a man for Christ. But a friend — who had 
himself been won by personal work — once 
asked me to go and see a well-krxown dan- 
cing-master who was living a wicked and 
reckless life. When I reached his rooms, he 
was teaching a pupil a waltz step. When he 
was at leisure he came to the reception-room. 

The conversation was opened by a reference 
to the father of the writer, who was also a 
teacher. After speaking of the hardships of 
a teacher's life I said there was all the more 
need for him to make the most out of life, and 
asked him if he was getting as much joy out 
of life as he would like. In a moment he 
knew what I was driving at, and he said that 
if he had been urged to become a Christian 
fifteen years earlier he would have done so. 

It was my opportunity. I urged him to 
i8 



Using Opportunities at Home 

take the step at once. When he agreed, we 

knelt together, — the dancing-master's wife 

with us, for she had come into the room, — 

and both made known their desire to become 

Christians. The next Sunday they stood up 

in church and publicly took upon themselves 

the vows of Christian service. 

Monday, March 21, 1907, i '.2>7 p-M« 
Age 46. 

At a Baseball Game 

IN order to do personal work we must be all 
things to all men. For instance, I make 
it a point to keep posted as to the points of 
the National Game. 

In coming out of my home after lunch, I 
saw a young man whose mother was anxious 
that he should come into the church. 

'^ Where are you going?" I called to him. 
'' Up to see the opening game ! " 
"Well, a friend sent me two tickets for this 
19 



Winning Men One by One 

afternoon, and I shall be pleased to have you 
accompany me/' 

Arrived at the grounds, I said to him (call- 
ing him by his first nafne^ which is often a 
strong point to get in close touch with a 
young man): 

*'Has it ever occurred to you that your 
parents would be anxious to see their son 
taking his place in the church ? Do you not 
know that Jesus Christ loves you, and did you 
ever think how the Saviour bore your sins in 
His own body? As a young man growing up 
to fill an important position in life, would it 
not be a fine thing to take Jesus Christ as your 
Saviour?" 

The quotation of John 3 : 16 completed my 
portion of the work, and he accepted Christ. 
Then we had a little prayer together right in 
the midst of the crowd. 

April 17, 1906, 2 :25 p.m. 

Age 22. 

20 



Using Opportunities at Home 

In a Busy Office 

WHILE at an evangelistic service in 
Canada, doing personal work in the 
meeting, I approached a well-dressed man 
and asked him if he had ever shown his 
colors. He replied that he did not think it 
necessary, and that a person could confess God 
and show the world where he stood, without 
openly confessing Him. I then stated that I 
had never found a person who could live prop- 
erly without confessing with the mouth the 
Lord Jesus. He replied that he thought his 
prospects were very favorable. After further 
conversation, which seemed to impress him 
quite a little, he said, with a great deal of ear- 
nestness : 

'*I believe what you say is true, but I don't 
care to take my stand to-night. I wish you 
would call at my ofl&ce to-morrow morning." 

Next day I called at the address given me, 
that of a large business house. To my sur- 

21 



Winning Men One by One 

prise, the man with whom I had the engage- 
ment was sitting at a desk in a private office. 

**Good morning, sir," he greeted me — '^I 
am glad you are here, for I have not had peace 
for some months. I have been in business 
here for several years, and my conscience has 
been disturbing me. I have been living a sin- 
ful life, and I am very anxious to get peace.'' 

''If you will permit me to put myself in 
your place," I replied, ''I'll tell you how I 
would get it. I would, first, get down on my 
knees and ask God to be merciful to me a sin- 
ner; second, I would confess Him openly before 
the world ; and, third, I would make restitu- 
tion to those I have wTonged." 

" God helping me, I will do this thing," he 
said. 

We then knelt and we both prayed. When 
we rose, he said : 

"I have peace now, for great joy has come 
to my heart since we knelt." 

22 



Using Opportunities at Home 

*' My friend, it took only a second to accept 
Christ/' I said to him, *' and it will take only 
a few seconds to confess Him, but it will take 
you all your life to obey Him/' 

** The dying thief rejoiced to see 
That fountain in his day, 
And there may I, though vile as he, 
Wash aU my sins away/* 

Thursday, June 21, 1906. 
Age 50. 



The Conversion of a Family 

WHILE doing personal work at an evan- 
gelistic service in Philadelphia, a lady 
came to me and said : 

*' I have a son whom I love very much, and 
I am very anxious for him to become a Chris- 
tian. Would it not be possible for you to call 
at my home for an interview with him ? " 

Of course I took the address and promised 
23 



Winning Men One by One 

to call at the first opportunity. On a Sunday 
morning soon after I was returning from 
church, when I took out my memorandum 
book and found the address. It was then 
12 : 45 P. M, As I had to leave the city at 
2 : lo P. M., and my home was some distance 
from the place where the call was to be made, 
it was doubtful if I would have time for this 
and dinner, too. But a quotation on a little 
card in my office says, *' Do it now ! " So I 
decided to visit this home at once. 

The mother met me at the door, and later 
introduced me to her husband. The son of 
whom she had spoken to me was sitting in the 
room with his brother. 

I said to the husband, '^Pardon me, but I 
presume, as the father of this home, you are a 
Christian?" 

He replied that he had once been a Chris- 
tian, but that he had gone back into the world. 

*' Do you not think it is your duty to become 
24 



Using Opportunities at Home 

a Christian ? '' I asked him. Then I told him 
that Christ died for him. He seemed surprised 
that some one should be interested in his soul. 
I therefore asked him if he was willing to 
kneel and ask God to be merciful to him, a 
sinner. He said that he was. Turning to the 
older son, who was listening intently, I asked 
him if he would not join his father in this act 
which meant so much to him. He said he 
would. 

Then I put the question : 

'* Do you confess Jesus Christ as your Lord 
and Saviour?'' 

Both father and son said in a firm voice, *' I 
do!" 

*' Do you believe in your heart that God has 
raised Him from the dead ? " 

They made the same reply. 

''Then,— God has said it,— 'Thou shalt be 
saved.' Do you believe you are saved when 
God says so ? " 

25 



Winning Men One by One 

When they said that they did, we knelt in 
prayer. The mother knelt with us, and while 
we were praying together, the front door 
opened and in came the son whom the mother 
had asked me to see. Leaving the father, son, 
and mother still on their knees praying, I went 
to the other son, and I put the question straight 
to him as to his willingness to join his father, 
mother, and brother, and thus make the family 
complete in Jesus Christ. He said he had not 
been a Christian, and that he wanted to do 
right and was willing to serve the Lord, but 
was waiting for an opportunity to speak to 
some one about his soul. 

We knelt with the others and had prayer 
together. 

Then I explained to him the Way of Life, 

and left for each a Bible. I had to miss my 

dinner that day, but who would not miss the 

most sumptuous repast to have accomplished 

the work that had been done ? I was content 

26 



Using Opportunities at Home 

with a sandwich and with reading God's word 
as found in Jeremiah 15 : i6: 

''Thy words were found, and I did eat 

them." 

Sunday, June 10, 1906, 12 : 40 P. M. 
Age 55. 

A Son and his Father 

ON returning home from the afternoon 
engagement rather later than I had 
expected, I was compelled to go without 
supper in order to fulfill a promise to speak 
that night, when, by appointment, I was to 
meet a man about whom a lady — his cousin — 
had spoken to me. He had been living a very 
wicked life. She would persuade him to come 
to the church to see me. 

It was not difficult to pick out the young 
man, as he was sitting by the lady who had 
spoken to me. 

''I am an entire stranger to you, sir,'' I said 

to him, ''but inasmuch as you have come to 

27 



Winning Men One by One 

church to-night, you have shown an interest to 
know the gospel of Jesus Christ.'' 

He replied that he felt that he liked to come 
to church ; that he would never learn anything 
wrong there. 

'* Do you not think that your life would be 
decidedly happier and better, and that your 
wife, father, and mother would be glad to see 
you become a Christian ? " I asked. '' Would 
you be willing to kneel here before the people, 
and confess Jesus Christ as your Lord and 
Saviour?" 

When he agreed, we knelt down, his wife 
kneeling with us. Not far away his mother 
and father were talking. The father, one of the 
finest specimens of manhood I have ever seen, 
came up, and with his wife joined us in prayer. 

The father, very anxious to leave, said : 

''That was a delightful step my son took 

to-night, and I am sure he will be much helped 

by such an action." 

28 



Using Opportunities at Home 

We walked away some distance, and I said : 

** You ought to be a very happy father to- 
night !'' 

When he replied that he was, I asked him 
if he was a Christian. He told me he was not. 

'^Then, how can you expect your son, in 
whom you are deeply concerned, to confess 
Jesus Christ, and attend church regularly ? ' ' 

At once he said : * ' I will take Jesus Christ 
as my Saviour." 

We then and there knelt, and the son came 
over and joined his father. 

Thus ended a day long to be remembered. 

Sunday, June lo, 1906, 9 : 25 p. m. 
Ages 60 and 24. 



Seven Traveling Men Accept Christ 

DURING a morning conference with a 
body of traveling men, I wondered 

whether the men were acquainted with One 

29 



Winning Men One by One 

whom I had been representing for a num- 
ber of years, the Lord Jesus Christ. So I 
said : 

'*Men, we have been talking about the 
goods you sell, explaining how difficulties and 
obstacles may be encountered ; I wonder how 
many of you know anything about the great 
Firm whose goods are as pure as the morning 
air, and in whose dealings there is no variable- 
ness nor shadow of turning. How many of 
you here are acquainted with the Lord Jesus 
Christ ? How many of you to-day have ever 
thanked Him for all the blessings that have 
been bestowed upon you and for all the suc- 
cess you have achieved ? Have you ever 
thought that you could have been so much 
worse off than you are ; that you have been 
blessed with families intact, that you are mak- 
ing considerable money, and that your health 
has been spared to you ? '' 

''If I should ask you to stand up for the 
30 



Using Opportunities at Home 

American flag, every man would leap to his 
feet, and yet the American flag does not 
amount to near so much as freedom in the 
Lord Jesus Christ ! I wonder how many of 
you are ashamed of the Master who has been 
so good to us. I wonder how many here to- 
day would be ashamed even now to stand up 
and confess the greatest leader that this world 
has ever known, the Lord Jesus Christ. ' ' 

Seven of the fifteen traveling men stood up 
and confessed Christ ; one of them said that he 
was born near the home town of Robert G. 
Ingersoll, and that he had thought that Bob 
IngersolPs teachings were everything that was 
to be desired. 

This man shortly afterward sent his son to 

my home with the message that his wife was 

sick ; I immediately went to see her. My first 

glance at the patient told me that she would 

not get well ; so I said to the husband : 

'* Perhaps God. to-night, will take away 
31 



Winning Men One by One 

from you your beloved companion. What a 

delight and consolation it is to know that 

Jesus Christ is here with you to-night in the 

sick-room. ' ' 

After we had prayed, the husband said : 

^' What would I have done had this sorrow 

come to me a few weeks ago. Now I feel that 

He is here, speaking to me and bidding me to 

look unto Him. ' ' 

That same night the wife died. The son 

soon decided to join the Methodist church as 

a probationer ; his father was already enrolled 

there. 

March 26, 1906. 



Doing Personal Work with a Grave-Digger 

I WAS called away from Philadelphia to the 
home of a relative where death had taken 

away a daughter. When at the cemetery to 

32 



Using Opportunities at Home 

arrange for the burial, I saw a grave-digger, 
who had already completed the grave, but was 
still inside fixing cedar on the walls. I said 
to him, ^'Good morning, sir! A beautiful day 
we are having! I presume you become accus- 
tomed to your surroundings and your work 
becomes quite natural to you. But have you 
ever thought that some day there will be a 
different grave-digger here?" 

*' Yes, I fully realize that, sir," he said, '' for 
[pointing to a well-kept lot] I have loved ones 
lying there, whom some day, I expect to meet. ' ^ 

I reached out my hand and said: 

** Friend, I am glad to hear you talk that 
way ; you talk like a man that belongs to the 
same family as I do!" 

*' Yes, if it were not for the fact that I have 

hope of seeing and meeting my loved ones 

again, grave-digging would be the last job 

that I would care to work at, ' ' he answered. 

*'I have dug several hundred graves myself, 

33 



Winning Men One by One 

and my predecessor dug over eleven hundred. 
My wife has only been dead a year and a half, 
and I laid my twenty-year-old son to rest six 
months ago, and I do thank God that I know 
of the comfort that he can give to the burdened 
and weary soul." 

I was very much helped that day because 
of my experience in what some persons think 
to be the darkest spot that can be visited on 
earth. 

Thursday, May i6, 1907, 10 :oo A. m. 
Age 46. 

On the Sidewalk 

ONE evening, after leaving a fashionable 
church in the central part of Phila- 
delphia, a young man accosted me and made 
an appeal for help. It was easy to see that he 
had known better days. He was poorly dressed, 

but his features were those of a refined man. 

34 



Using Opportunities at Home 

He blamed no one but himself for his condi- 
tion. When I said to him that he had probably 
seen better days, he said : 

*^ I have lost very nearly all of my man- 
hood ; but a letter that I received yesterday 
brought a picture before me of my boyhood 
days at the home fireside. I want you to read 
the letter!'' 

In the glare of the light, only a few yards 
from the church, I read the letter. Then I 
said : 

'' My boy, this is a cold world in which we 

live, and our friends are at times reluctant to 

overlook any act of indiscretion or sin, but 

God the Father sent his Son Jesus Christ into 

the world to save just such men as you are, 

and to make them an influence for good among 

their fellows. You have not gotten so low 

down in life but that the Lord can lift you up 

and make you a new man." 

Looking intently at me, he said : 
35 



Winning Men One by One 

^ ' Do you think this Saviour can do what 
you say for a poor outcast like me ? ' ' 

' ' He can, and He will, ' ' I answered. 
** There is only one chance for you. You 
must cry with the publican, ' God be merciful 
to me a sinner ! ' " 

We then bowed our heads together and 
prayed there, standing up against the fence 
rail. From the prayer offered by this young 
man, there was clear evidence that he believed 
in a Saviour who was able to save unto the 
uttermost. 

After I had quoted some Scripture verses to 
him, we walked up the street together and I 
arranged for his night's lodging and breakfast 
the next morning. He promised that he 
would return home to his mother and tell her 
what had happened. The fact that he did not 
ask again for any help when we walked and 
talked together showed an evidence of his 
sincerity in promising to lead a different life. 

36 



Using Opportunities at Home 

A friend to whom I told this story thought 
that it was foolish to spend the time in trying 
to persuade this man to live a better life. My 
friend was a man of family and had two sons. 
The writer asked him if he thought the time 
would be wasted, though it was much more 
than I spent with this mother's son, if that 
boy had been his boy, and had gone away from 
home to live as the prodigal. With a look 
that I shall never forget, he said : 

'' No, you are right. I see the question in a 

different way, and now I shall myself take 

advantage of the same opportunity, should it 

present itself to me. ' ' 

Sunday, January 13, 1907, 
9:45 P.M. Age 34. 

A Definite Prescription 

ONE Sunday afternoon at the Young 
Men's Christian Association, where I 

was to make an address a little later, I 

37 



Winning Men One by One 

saw in the corner of the room an old friend, 
who had been living a wayward life. Going 
to him, I greeted him in as pleasant a way as 
possible. He replied most cordially, saying 
that thongh he was not a Christian he had 
come over to hear what I had to say about 
Jesus Christ. He said, further, that he had 
been living a very sinful life, and that his 
wickedness had very nearly separated him 
from his wife ; that he was searching for 
peace, but had never found it. I told him I 
could guarantee peace to every one who would 
take the prescription that I could oflFer. 

"What is your prescription?" he asked. 

'* Will you take it if I offer it to you ? " 

He hesitated for so long that it was rather 
embarrassing; he was sitting with his head 
bowed in his hands. Finally, he said: 

' ' Yes, sir, I will take the prescription you 
offer." 

" Then listen ; Paul very plainly tells us in 

38 



Using Opportunities at Home 

Romans lo -.9: ^ If thou shalt confess with thy 
mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in 
thine heart that God hath raised him from the 
dead, thou shalt be saved.' Will you lay aside 
all old prejudices, all your malice, all your 
enmity, and become reconciled to this Great 
Physician?" 

''I will!'' 

*'Doyou believe that you are saved when 
God assures you that you are ? " 

''I do." 

* ' Then let us now kneel in prayer and let us 
both from the depths of our heart lift up our 
voices to God and tell him just what we want." 

We both prayed. When we rose the open- 
ing song service had been going on for at least 
ten minutes. But I had the assurance that one 
man had been won before the meeting had 
really started. 

Sunday, May 26, 1906, 2 : 45 P.M. 
Age 50. 

39 



Winning Men One by One 

A Physician Reclaimed 

ONE evening I was sent for by the 
mother of a physician, who wished me 
to talk to him. He was intoxicated and had 
been making threats. 

' ' Doctor, I am surprised to find you in this 
condition," I said, when I saw him. ^' There 
is only one hope for you, and that is to depend 
upon the I^ord to give you strength to over- 
come this appetite." 

We didn't stand on any ceremony, and I 
asked him to kneel with me for prayer. His 
prayer was one of the best that I have ever 
heard, in spite of his condition. When he 
rose he was entirely sober. His first word 
was: 

*' Mother, I have been worrying you almost 
to death with my conduct. I have been any- 
thing else than a dutiful son ; but, God helping 
me, I shall hereafter strive to give you the 

comfort you need." 

40 



Using Opportunities at Home 

The doctor has since won some forty souls 
for his Master. He has been severely tempted 
and tried, but he is still trusting in a Saviour 
who is able to save to the uttermost. He is 
living with his mother, from whom he had 
been separated because of his conduct (The 
evening when I was permitted to lead him to 
Christ, he was at home for a visit.) 

Monday, April 6, 1906, 7 : 05 p. m. 
Age n. 



In the Barber's Chair. 

JUST before going to an evangelistic serv- 
ice, I was seated in a barber's chair. 
The other barbers were at supper; the 
proprietor himself was the only workman 
present. 

While he was lathering my face, I quoted 
some Scripture verses that I had read in my 

room. Much interested, he stopped a few mo- 

41 



Winning Men One by One 

ments and asked several questions. He seemed 
anxious to learn more about the Saviour. 
While he worked he was thinking. When 
he was through he told me that he felt that 
he ought to be a Christian. 

"Then will you to-night confess Christ as 
your Ivord and Saviour?" 

He said he would ; and there in the shop he 
kept his word. 

Baltimore, Md., November, 1906. 



An Old Business Associate 

ON the street one evening I was ap- 
proached by a middle-aged man whom 
I recognized as an old business associate. 

He told me that he had walked from Tren- 
ton to Philadelphia, and had eaten only two 
apples that day. Once he had had a beautiful 

home in New York City. But he fell in with 

42 



Using Opportunities at Home 

evil companions and began to drink. He soon 
became so degraded that his friends forsook 
him. He was ashamed to remain with his 
family and went to British Columbia. There, 
knowing that he had lost all he had, he gave 
himself up to a sinful life. But the home pull 
was too strong for him ; so he came back to see 
his wife and children. Then he wandered to 
Philadelphia. 

• I told him of his need of Christ, who would 
help him overcome his temptation. We had 
prayer together and he confessed Christ in 
writing, in substance as follows : 

''I take the Lord Jesus Christ as my per- 
sonal Saviour and I promise to love, obey and 
serve Him, and I promise that I will never 
touch a glass of intoxicants as long as I live. 
I also promise in the strength of my Master 
to care for my wife and loved ones, and to 
strive diligently to point others to the Lamb 

of God." 

43 



Winning Men One by One 

The next morning lie began to hunt for 
work. In an hour he had secured a position. 
October lo, 1907, 5 : 15 p. m. 
Age 47. 



In the Restaurant 

WHIIvE taking lunch with a friend at a 
restaurant, I said to the waitress when 
she took our order : 

'* Are you acquainted with our Friend?" 

Of course, she was surprised till I explained 
that I referred to Jesus Christ, and added : 

''We want to recommend Him to you to- 
day." 

She went off to get our order and returned 

about fifteen minutes later. While putting 

the food on the table, she told us that she had 

been taught to go to Sunday-school and church, 

but that after she had grown to womanhood, 

44 



Using Opportunities at Home 

careless habits and indifferent companions had 
led her off and kept her away from God. 
While we were eating, she said : 
^^I will take Jesus Christ as my Saviour, 
and will promise you before your friend that 
I will love Him and serve Him and will join 
the church." 

Two weeks later, I was told that she had 
not only come into the church herself, but 
had brought her husband with her, and that 
both became not only workers, but loyal sup- 
porters. 

Monday, June 6, 1906, 12 -.45 p. m. 
Age 26. 

The Man on a Bicycle 

WHILE walking on the street, I saw 
a young man riding on a bicycle. 
When he came close to me I walked out in 
the roadway and laid my hand on his shoulder. 
He jumped from his wheel at once. 

45 



Winning Men One by One 

*' My friend, are you a Cliristian ? ' ' I asked. 
He had been afraid, just at first, not know- 
ing what was coming. But his face bright- 
ened, and he replied: 

'* Yes, indeedy, boss, I'se a Christian.'' 
*' Well, you are not sorry, are you?" 
'' No, indeed ; I'se very glad." 
'' Hope I have not done you any harm?" 
''No, indeed, boss, you'se done me lots of 
good, I'se very glad to meet you." 

And then he leaped on his bicycle and went 
away like a shot out of a cannon. 

This was done more as an experiment than 
anything else. I had heard so many Chris- 
tians say that they did not do personal work be- 
cause they were afraid that those to whom they 
spoke would insult them; and yet this bicycle 
rider when detained expressed his gratitude. 
I was fully convinced that when we work for 
the glory of our Saviour, he will not allow us 
to be insulted and abused. 

46 



Using Opportunities at Home 

A Singer with a New Song 

A BROTHERHOOD Banquet was held in 
one of the large churches of Philadel- 
phia with the specific purpose of getting the 
men of the church more interested in soul- 
winning and Christian work. 

After the speech-making had been finished, 
and we had risen from the table, I spoke to a 
young man who had attracted my attention. 

Very soon we were on good terms. I learned 

that he was a solo singer in a wealthy church. 

When I asked him how long he had been a 

Christian, he said he had promised to follow 

Christ many years before, but that he had 

backslidden and had been living a very 

wicked life. As he talked, he said that he 

wanted to get rid of his sins and make his 

peace with God. Together we walked into an 

adjoining room for prayer. Then we had 

some further conversation, during which I 

pointed him to many passages of the Bible. 

47 



Winning Men One by One 

When, finally, he accepted Christ, he said : 
**I was a most miserable wretch when I 
came to this banquet. I did not want to come 
but was here to please the pastor of the church, 
who extended a special invitation to me." 

From that time he sang with so much fervor 

and sweetness that the congregation observed 

at once that there had been a change in his 

life. He became very attentive at the church 

and the mid-week services, and frequently 

took part. 

June i8, 1906, 10 : 00 p. M. 
Age 32. 

48 



AT EVANGELISTIC MEETINGS 



At Evangelistic Meetings 

Letting Others Starve 

AT a Christian Workers' convention some 
time ago, I asked a young woman how 
long she had been studying the Bible ; she 
replied that it was more than seven years. 

*'How many souls have you won in these 
seven years ? " I continued. 

She dropped her head and replied that she 
had not won any. She is not alone. She is 
like a great many of us who read God's Word. 
We feed on it, but forget to feed others. 



A Chief Justice's Son 

AFTER a religious service, I noticed a 
fine-looking young man. I asked him 
if he was a Christian, and learned that he 
was not, but had been in his boyhood days. 
After talking with him for a little while about 
the joy of a life hid with Christ in God, and 
pointing out the importance of accepting 

51 



Winning Men One by One 

Christ and of confessing Him before the 
world, we knelt in prayer, together with 
some friends. Before I left him he promised 
to read God's Word each day from that time 
on. The following day he left for New York, 
and later for the West. 

Three months later I received a letter in 
which he explained that he was the son of a 
Chief Justice, and that he had been a way- 
ward son. His father had refused to forgive 
him ; now he was going home to his parents, 
who had written to him to return ; and that 
he would strive to serve God, whose name he 
had owned, by trying to win souls for the 
Lord Jesus Christ. 

Caught on the Wing 

AFTER a special meeting in a Young 
Men's Christian Association hall, when 

only a few had responded to the invitation 

52 



At Evangelistic Meetings 

to ask for prayer, I was standing near the 
door, and saw a young man who seemed to be 
in a hurry. Suspecting that he was eager to 
avoid questions, I approached him and asked 
if he belonged to the King's family. He told 
me he did not 

''Can't you spare a few moments that I may 
give you a good reason for accepting Christ as 
3^our Saviour?" I asked. 

When he agreed, we sat down and talked 
for some fifteen minutes. I learned that he 
had been many years in this country. He 
voluntarily told me that his mother and father 
were as God-fearing people as he had ever 
known, so I asked him if he would not do 
everything possible to make them happy. He 
said he would. 

Then I said, ''No present that you could 

possibly send them, no sacrifice that you could 

make for them, no act of yours, would be 

appreciated more by them than your giv- 

53 



Winning Men One by One 

ing yourself to the God of your father and 

mother." 

After we had prayer, he accepted Christ as 

his Saviour, and confessed Him before several 

people who were standing looking on. 

September 7, 1907, 9 : 40 p. m. 
Age 30. . 



From Tramp to Christian Salesman 

ONE night after I had given the invita- 
tion to a body of men to whom I had 
been speaking, to accept Christ, nearly one 
hundred persons stood up, asking for prayer. 
Among these was a man whom I later sought 
personally. I learned that he had seen better 
days, but had been separated from his wife and 
child for eighteen years. He said he was in a 
business that would not permit him to become 
a Christian. 

Next evening he was present at the meet- 
54 



At Evangelistic Meetings 

ing, and when the invitation was given he 
came forward to accept Christ. While talk- 
ing to him later, I observed that his shoes did 
not have any heels and that his feet were nearly 
on the ground. He had hardly enough cloth- 
ing on his back to keep him warm. Although 
I make it a point never to give an invitation 
for men at the mission to visit my business or 
my home, I made this man an exception and 
asked him to meet me at my home the follow- 
ing Tuesday. 

When he responded to this invitation, after 
he had eaten, we went into the parlor and I 
explained that Christ who had redeemed me 
had made it possible for me to have a home 
and other good things. We knelt together 
and had prayer. Afterward I asked him to 
pray. Then I gave him clothes and he left. 

About two months after, he returned, look- 
ing the very picture of health and prosperity. 
He said that he had been called from the city, 

55 



Winning Men One by One 

that he had just returned, and that he had 
walked fully seven miles to see me, as he had 
heard that I was ill. 

A few months later he secured a position as 
a salesman in one of the most prominent stores 
in Philadelphia, and has since been restored to 
his family and loved ones, and is to-dayfan of- 
ficer in a large mission where men are being 
won for Christ. 

Conversion of an Engineer 

AFTER an evangelistic meeting in New 
York state, I walked down to a man 
about six feet tall and weighing about 250 
pounds. 

'' How did you enjoy the sermon?" I asked 
him. '^ Very much, you say? Well, then, I 
presume you are a Christian ? " 

*' Yes," he said, ''some sort of a Christian ; 
but I am not working much at the business." 

56 



At Evangelistic Meetings 

'* Have you ever heard the story of Gellet ? " 
I asked. ''Then let me tell it." 

*'In Wales lived a hunter by the name of 
Ivlewellyn who had a number of hounds. One 
day he decided to go hunting ; vSoon he found 
a hound named Gellet was missing ; so he blew 
his horn, but without response. Rushing 
angrily back to the house, he went into the 
little home and upstairs where the baby was 
sleeping in the cradle. There he saw Gellet 
lying by the cradle, with blood on his body. 
Ivooking into the cradle, he did not see the 
baby, and so jumped to the conclusion that the 
dog had killed her. He said to the dog, ' Gel- 
let, you have killed my baby and I am going 
to shoot you. ' The sound of the gun awakened 
the child, but it was too late ; the dog fell to 
the floor, dead. As lylewellyn saw his mis- 
take, he was prostrated with grief, for Gellet 
was his best hound. He rushed downstairs, 

and saw a trail of blood which led him to the 

57 



Winning Men One by One 

spot in the woods where lay a wild boar, dead. 
Gellet had killed him in defense of the baby ! " 

When I had told this story I went on : ' 'Jesus 
Christ hung on the cross ; on either side of him 
a thief. As he was about to die, one of the 
thieves said to him, 'Remember me when thou 
comest into thy kingdom.' Christ turned His 
head and compassionately said, ' To-day shalt 
thou be with me in paradise.' " 

The man to whom I was talking looked into 
my face with tears in his eyes and said : 

'' I feel myself to-night worse than the thief, 
for I know better, and yet I have rejected my 
Lord and Master more times than I can tell. ' ' 

' ' Have you ever confessed Jesus openly ? ' ' 
I asked. 

''No ; but I should like to do so, at once." 

Taking him at his word, the evangelist made 
an opportunity for him to confess Christ just 
then. 

" Now I want to go to work," he said. "I 

58 



At Evangelistic Meetings 

have a friend in this building who has been a 
drinking man, and I want him to find the 
same Saviour that I have found to-night You 
remain here and I will find him/' 

In about twenty-five minutes, when I de- 
cided that he had failed in his effort, and the 
evangelist was about to close the services, he 
called out to me: 

'' I have found my friend ! " 

When I talked to his companion, I found 
the needed words had all been said by my 
newly converted friend; the stranger then and 
there accepted Christ and went away a very 
happy man. 

The tall man whom I had first sought in 
this hall told me that he was the engineer on 
a limited express train; that, walking around 
between runs, he had followed a crowd to the 
hall. 

'^I believe God's hand is in this evening's 
happenings," he said, ''and it is my intention 

59 



Winning Men One by One 

to go back and tell my friends what happened 
to me. ' ' 

*' Go liome and ten to those you love 
How Christ has set you free ; 
The wondrous change which grace has wrought, 
Let an your neighbors see." — Harkness. 

Buffalo, N. Y., March 29, 1907, 9 150 p.m. 
Age 55. 

A Gambler from the Transvaal 

AT a religious meeting in Philadelphia, in 
response to an invitation, thirty-two 
men came forward to confess Christ. After 
I had quoted a number of verses of Scrip- 
ture, they knelt down and asked for God's 
forgiving mercy. Then I said : 

*'Men, do you know that you have done 
something to-night that many men who go be- 
fore shot and shell do not have the courage to 
do? You will never regret that you have 
taken the stand. You will get as much out 

of the Christian life as you put into it. ' ' 

60 



At Evangelistic Meetings 

I had hardly spoken the words when a man 
of about thirty came running down the aisle, 
and said: 

'*I have been leading a very wicked life : I 
fought through the Boer War. Although many 
comrades were shot down alongside of me, yet 
God in his mercy has spared my life. I have 
been a professional gambler for fifteen years, 
but from this time on, by the help of God, I 
am going to turn over a new leaf and live for 
Him, and to show you that I am in earnest, 
here are two loaded dice I have been using." 

I asked him to kneel down and repeat a 
simple prayer. He rose with a look of inex- 
pressible determination and joy. 



Winning the Janitor of the Church 

NE evening after speaking in a large 

Philadelphia church, I requested those 

who were Christians to stand. Nearly the 

6i 



o 



Winning Men One by One 

entire congregation arose. I then asked 

those to stand who had won a soul to Christ 

through their own personal eflforts. Not more 

than twenty-five out of the many hundreds 

present stood on their feet. I was impressed 

as never before with the fact that it is the 

general opinion of most of us who belong to 

the church that we have done our part the 

minute we accept the Lord Jesus Christ and 

place our names on the church roll. 

As I was going out the street door, I saw 

the janitor in the hallway. Asking the friends 

who were with me to excuse me for a moment, 

I went to him and asked him how he enjoyed 

the service. He declared it had done him 

much good. I then went on to remark that he 

was living in such an excellent atmosphere 

doubtless he had become an earnest Christian. 

He stated that he was not a member of the 

church, nor even a Christian. 

To say that I was surprised hardly describes 
62 



At Evangelistic Meetings 

my feelings. It was natural to suppose that the 
janitor, who had come in contact with almost 
everybody in the congregation, would not only 
be a Christian, but would also be eager to win 
others to Christ. I asked him how such a 
thing could be. He gave many excuses ; but 
I determined that by the grace of God he 
should settle the matter of his salvation that 
night ; so I then said to him : 

''You believe in the I^ord Jesus Christ, do 
you not? you believe in a judgment to come? 
you believe that Christ Jesus rose from the 
dead for you, and is now sitting at the right 
hand of God, the Father, to make intercession 
for you?" 

He replied that he did believe, although he 
was rather skeptical at times. 

"Are you ashamed to own the Lord and to 

confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God ? ' ' 

I asked. 

*'No, lam not!" 

63 



Winning Men One by One 

'* Then let us kneel right here in the vesti- 
bule and have prayer together,'' was my pro- 
posal. 

We knelt and we both prayed. The last of 
the janitor's prayer was this : 

''O God, save me in spite of myself, for 
Jesus' sake ! ' ' 

As we rose, the pastor of the church was 
coming out with some of the members of his 
family and some friends. They were startled 
to see that we had been kneeling in prayer in 
the hallway of the church ; but they were still 
more startled to learn that the janitor had ac- 
cepted Jesus Christ. 

Friday, March 29, 1907, 9 130 p.m. 
Age 2>^, 

Dealing with a Saloon-keeper 

THK church was crowded, and I arrived 
late ; I was compelled to stand back 
of the last row of seats. When the invi- 

64 



At Evangelistic Meetings 

tation was given for those who would be will- 
ing to lead Christian lives to arise, I noticed a 
very dignified man, about fifty-eight years old, 
sitting in a seat in front of me. Laying my 
hand on his shoulder, I said to him : 
''My friend, won't you stand up?" 
In a very positive manner, he said : 
''I am just as good a Christian as you are! " 
*' Perhaps you are a better Christian than I, 
but the difference between us is, I am not 
ashamed to show my colors, and apparently 
you are. If Christ is anything to us, he cer- 
tainly is worth standing up for. ' ' 

''But I do not believe everything in the 
Bible to be true," he objected. 

"If I should sit down intending to eat a 
good meal," I responded, "and there was a 
nice piece of beefsteak on one plate and on 
another plate a bone, I certainly would take 
what would be the most nourishing to my 

body." 

65 



Winning Men One by One 

* * But I am the proprietor of a saloon, and 
do not think the church wants much to do 
with me!" 

'' The church does not care very much about 
having saloon-keepers present at the services 
unless they come to worship in sincerity and 
in truth ; but Christ loves the saloon-keeper 
just as much as any one else, and we have 
yet to read in His Book that He ever turned 
away a sincere inquirer." 

After a little while he became most cordial, 
and said he wanted to believe in God's Word 
and that he would like to be a member of the 
church, but that so long as he was engaged 
in his present business he would be compelled 
to stay outside the church. 

While I did not succeed in winning my man 
for the Master, I had, I believe, the delightful 
experience of helping him. He would not soon 
forget our conversation. 

66 



At Evangelistic Meetings 

** There are lonely hearts to cherish, 

While the days are going by; 
There are weary souls who perish, 

While the days are going by; 
If a smile we can renew, 

As our journey we pursue, 
Oh, the good we all may do, 

While the days are going by ! ** 



At Threescore and Ten 

AT an evangelistic service, when many had 
accepted Christ, an elderly man attracted 
my attention. As I passed him in the aisle, 
I paused, and said: 

** A very large number went forward to-day 
to acknowledge their Master." 

'*0h!" he said, '^that is not necessary!'' 
'' Why, don't you think it is a good thing for 
a man to show his colors?" I asked. '* Why 
should we be ashamed to show our colors for 
the I^ord Jesus Christ ? You are nearly seventy 
years old, God has abundantly blessed you 

67 



Winning Men One by One 

with health. Is it not a good thing to be 
appreciative of such great mercies?" 

' ' Look here, ' ' the man answered, * ' I believe 
in Jesus Christ as a personal Saviour and I be- 
lieve God's Word! But I don't believe it is 
necessary in order to be a Christian that a 
man should confess Christ before such a large 
audience. ' ' 

*'But," I urged, ^ * Christ has said, 'whoso- 
ever therefore shall confess me before men, 
him will I confess also before my Father which 
is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me be- 
fore men, him will I also deny before my Father 
which is in heaven. ' You said that you be- 
lieved in Jesus Christ ; you must of necessity 
believe what he says. So let us go forward, 
while you show just where you stand !'^ 

When we reached the front of the church, 
he objected to kneeling for prayer, saying that 
he did not think this was necessary; that com- 
ing to the front would be sufficient. 

68 



At Evangelistic Meetings 

**My friend," I said, ^'nothing but a com- 
plete and full surrender to Jesus Christ will 
ever be anything but satisfactory, and if you 
are not willing to make a full surrender, your 
coming forward will not mean anything." 

'^ I have come this far," he said, with deter- 
mination, ^'and I want to go all the way; I 
am willing to do anything ! " 

When we rose, and he was asked to con- 
fess Christ, his voice was full and strong. 
Then he turned to me, and said : 

''I never realized what joy there was in 
making a full surrender to Christ ; God helping 
me, I will now try to win some souls for Him. ' ' 

A few days later I received a letter from 
him, in which he expressed his joy in having 
taken this step. Several times I have met 
him at church. His face was radiant, and 
I could see that he was happy. 

Sunday, September 29, 1907, 5 p. m. 
Age 69. 

69 



Winning Men One by One 

Failure — and Success 

AT an evening service I had been do- 
ing my best to persuade an infidel to 
give his heart to Christ. He would not 
listen to my arguments. I said all I could, 
quoted many verses of Scripture ; told him my 
own experience in trusting in God. It was 
all of no avail. He remained obstinate. I 
was sick at heart, for I felt that I had failed 
miserably. 

As I was leaving the hall I passed a man 
and was led to ask him if he was a Christian. 
He said he was not, but that he would like to 
be; he had listened to my arguments as I 
talked to the infidel, and these had brought 
to his mind the memory of his younger days, 
when he was a Christian. He had wandered 
far from God ; but the words that he had heard 
had convinced him that Jesus would accept 
even him if he would return to Him. 

It was only a short time till he gave his 
70 



At Evangelistic Meetings 

heart to Christ. That was a joyful evening. 
My faith was much strengthened by the ex- 
perience. 

71 



A TRAVELER SEEKING SOULS 



A Traveler Seeking Souls 

A Gambler in the West 

DURING a visit in Ohio, I was requested 
to call at the home of a man who was 
noted as a race-track man and gambler. His 
wife was a Christian. 

At first we talked on the topics of the day. 
Then, referring to a prominent man in his 
neighborhood who had recently died very 
suddenly, I said : 

** Suppose you had been called away in- 
stead ? Perhaps you feel that you do not have 
the least fear of death ; at the same time prepa- 
ration is a splendid thing, whether it be for 
this life or for the life to come. ' ' 

It was difficult to get him to say a word, 
but he finally said that if he became a Chris- 
tian it would be necessary to give up his busi- 
ness. I told him that if a man was conducting 
a business that at last would bring misery and 

shame to his family, as well as cause him to 

75 



Winning Men One by One 

lose his own soul, lie would be quite justified 
in giving it up. 

He told me that he had attended Sunday- 
school when a boy ; that his mother and father 
were both earnest Christians, and that he be- 
lieved in their religion, but had drifted into a 
life of idleness at the race-track. At present 
he was gambling nearly every night. He told 
me, further, that he believed in Jesus Christ 
as a personal Saviour, and that the Christian 
life was the only one to live. 

''Then you are ready to ask God for new 
life, aren't you? L<et us kneel down and 
pray." 

At first he hesitated ; then we knelt down. 
I offered prayer, asking God's blessing upon 
the man and his family, and thanking Him for 
keeping the family intact, and for His many 
blessings to them. He followed me, speaking 
words I suggested. 

When we were on our feet, I asked : 

76 



A Traveler Seeking Souls 

'* Will you take Christ as your Saviour, and 
confess Him before the world ?*' He hesi- 
tated and said nothing for at least three 
minutes. Then the tears came to his eyes as 
he said: 

"I will! I am through with my gam- 
bling." 

The wife who was listening outside rushed 

in and threw her arms about his neck, and 

they sobbed together. 

Sunday, Feb. lo, 1907, 9 : 40 p.m. 
Age 43. Cleveland, Ohio. 



Four Soldiers of the Grenadier Guards 

I WAS in London, at St. James Hall, 
when the Rev. Hugh Price Hughes was 
preaching. In the gallery were many of the 
Queen's Guards. After the service, I went up 
to them. One very fine-looking fellow, an 

77 



Winning Men One by One 

officer of the ist Battalion Grenadier Guards, 
especially attracted my attention. I felt that, 
if I succeeded in getting him to accept Christ, 
probably his three companions, privates, would 
follow him. Each of the four stood over six 
feet, was well built, and the very picture of 
health. After I had talked to them a short 
time the Sergeant took his stand for Christ 

Then, turning to the privates, I said : 

''Men, don't slight God's ojBfer to-night, but 
accept Jesus as your personal Saviour." 

The four of us went down to a class-room, 
where we knelt and all prayed. I shall never 
forget the prayers offered by those Guards. 

Shortly afterward, these men were sent to 
the front to fight in the Boer War. Several 
of them never returned to England. No won- 
der I thank God for guiding me to them that 
day! 

London, England, Sunday, May, 1899. 
9 : 45 p. M. 

78 



A Traveler Seeking Souls 

When the Berths Got Mixed 

WHILE traveling from Pittsburgh to 
Chicago I met a millionaire from 
the East who was on his way to look after 
some oil-wells in Cheyenne, Wyoming. We 
soon discovered that, by some mistake, we 
had been assigned the same berth. While 
the porter was arranging a new assignment 
for me, I entered into conversation with the 
man on the topics of the day ; at length we 
drifted to a talk on some of the great poets. I 
asked him if he had ever read Will Carleton's 
*' Negro Funeral. ' ' When he said he had not, 
I quoted it to him. He liked it so much that 
I gave him one of the copies which I plan to 
carry with me when I travel. Then I left 
him for the night. 

Next morning he invited me to join him at 
breakfast. I bowed my head and gave thanks 
for the food supplied. My companion said : 

*' I see you are not ashamed of your Lord.'' 
79 



Winning Men One by One 

This gave me the desired opening, and I 
asked if he was a Christian. He replied that 
he was a skeptic ; that he did not believe in 
anybody, because he had found so many who 
had deceived him. 

I then told him that, while people changed, 
he had no reason to doubt God, who is the 
same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever, and is 
ever merciful and kind and true. The words 
seemed to go home, and he said : 

'*I know I have not been living the life 
that I should, and I want to thank you for all 
you have said to me." 

When we arrived at Chicago, he said he 
would like to buy me a certain book. We 
walked up to a bookstore but failed to find 
the volume. Soon after, he went on to Chey- 
enne. I invited him to take dinner with me 
at the Great Northern Hotel on his return to 
the East. 

Three weeks later he called on me and 
80 



A Traveler Seeking Souls 

brought the book of which he had spoken. 
He started to read a portion, but it did not 
appeal to me. After he had read a few pages, 
I said to him : 

' ' By the way, I have a book ; it is a won- 
derful book, and I want you to listen while I 
quote you some of it. ' ' 

Then I quoted to him from Romans 8 : 
35-39, Psalms I and 23, and Isaiah 26 : 3. 
When I had finished, he said he had never 
heard anything that gave him so much com- 
fort, and that he had been troubled ever since 
I had met him because he knew that he was 
not living a godly life, and that he had prayed 
that the Lord would give him peace. He said 
that while on his way to Cheyenne he had 
been troubled, and even while engaged in 
business the question came to him, ''Am I 
getting all I can out of life?'' 

Of course the way was then wide open for 

me. I talked with him a while, then he said : 

81 



Winning Men One by One 

'' I know I am a sinner ; I want to lead the 
right kind of a life." 

The quoting of John 3 : 16 showed him that 
it was just as necessary for a millionaire to 
believe on Christ as for any one else. Then 
the stranger, met on the train three weeks 
before, knelt with me and prayed. When we 
rose, he said : 

''My dear brother, you will never know the 
joy that you have brought into my life, for 
from this time on I am going to have con- 
fidence in men, and to-night, for the first time 
in many years, I will see a cousin and endeavor 
to take him to church.'' 

Sunday, January, 1898. 
Age 48. 



O 



While Crossing the St. Lawrence 

NE afternoon while returning from 
Canada I was introduced to a busi- 



ness man at the station, who took the train 

82 



A Traveler Seeking Souls 

with me. Our seats were at opposite ends 
of the parlor-car, but I determined to speak 
to him. Watching my chance, when I saw 
him reading his newspaper I approached him 
and said : 

''I presume you are going to take a long 
journey.'' 

He told me that he was going to New York. 

' ' I failed to get a newspaper when we left 
the station," I proceeded, and I shall feel 
grateful to you if, when you are through with 
yours, you will permit me to read it.'' In a 
moment the paper was forgotten and we were 
engaged in a general conversation. At last I 
saw my opportunity : 

'^ Did you ever read that beautiful poem, by 
William Cullen Bryant, entitled Thanatopsis? 
No ? Then let me quote the last part of that 
masterpiece : 

" * So live that wlien thy summons comes to join 
The innumerable caravan that moves 

83 



Winning Men One by One 

To that mysterious realm, where each shaU take 
His chamber in the silent halls of death, 
Thou go not like the quarry-slave at night. 
Scourged to his dungeon, but, sustained and 

soothed 
By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave, 
Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch 
About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams ! ' *' 

'^That is grand," he said, *'go on ; quote 
something else.'' 

I then recited for him that portion of Ham- 
let where Polonius speaks thus to Laertes, 
his son: 

** And these few precepts in thy memory 
Look thou character. Give thy thoughts no 

tongue. 
Nor any unproportion'd thought his act. 
Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar. 
Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried. 
Grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel ; 
But do not dull thy palm with entertainment 
Of each new-hatch' d, unfledged comrade. Beware 
Of entrance to a quarrel, but being in, 
Bear't that the opposed may beware of thee. 
Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice ; 

84 



A Traveler Seeking Souls 

Take each man's censure, but reserve thy judge- 
ment. 
Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy, 
But not express 'd in fancy ; rich, not gaudy ; 
For the apparel oft proclaims the man. 
And they in France of the best rank and station 
Are of a most select and generous chief in that. 
Neither a borrower nor a lender be ; 
For loan oft loses both itself and friend. 
And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry. 
This above all : to thine own self be true. 
And it must follow, as the night the day, 
Thou canst not then be false to any man.'' 

*'The advice given to that son is quite 
wholesome, isn't it?" he said. 

Then the way was open to quote from the 
Book of Books. 

**I presume that you have often heard this 
quotation : 

*' ' Though I speak with the tongues of men 
and of angels, and have not charity, I am be- 
come as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 
And though I have the gift of prophecy, and 
understand all mysteries, and all knowledge ; 

85 



Winning Men One by One 

and though I have all faith, so that I could 
remove mountains, and have not charity, I am 
nothing.' " 

''Yes, I have heard those words some- 
where. ' ' 

''Probably you have heard them from the 
lips of your father and mother," I said. 

After a little talk about his home life as a 
boy, I asked him if he belonged to the King's 
family. 

He then said that he was once a Christian, 
but had left his home in Scotland to come to 
this country, where he had built up a large 
business, and that his companions were not 
Christians, but were inclined to lead way- 
ward lives. On Sunday he had been accus- 
tomed to go automobiling and to drive fast 
horses. 

' ' I want to thank you for your interest in 

me," he added; "you have brought to me 

again the dearest joj^s of my life, the time 

86 



A Traveler Seeking Souls 

when I was home with mother and father, and 
when life seemed the happiest." 

*'You ought to be a Christian," I urged, 
* ' and be an influence for good among your fel- 
lows. Jesus Christ loves you, and he wants 
you to be his follower; are you ashamed of 
Him?" 

When he said he was not, I called a friend 
for a witness. When he said he would take 
Christ as his Saviour, we had prayer together. 
We rose from our knees while we were cross- 
ing the St. Lawrence River. The sun was 
going down and all things seemed to speak 
of God's glory. 

*' I did not think that this would take place 
on my journey," our companion said; ''I 
have been a respected man in my community, 
well-regarded by every one so far as my busi- 
ness was concerned. My friends knew that I 
did not care much about being associated with 
Christians and the church, and it has been a 

87 



Winning Men One by One 

long time since I have attended church, but I 

do thank God from the bottom of my heart 

for this journey, and for the satisfaction of 

knowing in my heart that I am again a child 

of God." 

June 30, 1906. 
Age s8. 

On the Pullman Car 

WHIIvE on the way to Canada, I asked 
the porter to make up my berth, 
and took my seat for a little while with a 
passenger, whom I learned was a New York 
business man. After talking about the topics 
of the day, I said to him : 

''Well, I presume 5^ou will retire soon. 
One doesn't have much opportunity, — does 
he, — to kneel down and thank his lyord in 
these berths?" 

' ' Thank the lyord ! " he answered. ' ' I hope 

you have gotten beyond that idea ! But from 

88 



A Traveler Seeking Souls 

your conversation I judge that you are inclined 
to be religious. ' ' 

*'I hope the day will never come when I 
shall be too tired to kneel in the most high or 
lowly place, to thank my God, who supplies 
all my needs according to his riches in Christ 
Jesus," I said. 

'%ook here," was his next word, *' I don't 
like to hear such stuff. I was once a member 
of the church, but I am very glad that I am 
outside of it to-day. There are a lot of hypo- 
crites in the church. Religion is good enough 
for little children and for the aged, but I donH 
want any of it. I have been cheated and de- 
frauded by members of the church and now I 
dislike the very name of religion ! " 

For the sake of argument, I said : * ' I will 
admit that there are some people in the church 
who don't live up to their high privileges ; but 
let me ask you questions, to which I hope 
you will give frank answers. God has blessed 

89 



Winning Men One by One 

you with health, strength, and vigor, and has 
prospered you in business, and has kept your 
family intact. Now, do you think that you 
have been right in taking a stand of this kind? 
Doubtless you have a bank in your town? '' 

*' Yes," he said, ^'and I carry a large bank 
account, for the firm that I represent does a 
splendid business, and they bank considerable 
money." 

"Well," I continued, "suppose to-morrow 
you go to your bank to make a deposit. 
The teller, in checking up your slip, discovers 
a counterfeit five-dollar bill. Will he say to 
you, ' Mr. Blank, take all this money back ; I 
cannot receive it because there is one counter- 
feit bill in it ' ? or does he simply say, * Mr. 
Blank, I regret very much that you have 
received a counterfeit bill from some one ; I 
trust that you may be fortunate enough to dis- 
cover his identity ' ? " 

' ' Why, ' ' he answered, thoughtfully, ' * I 
90 



A Traveler Seeking Souls 

see your point ; he certainly would do the 
latter." 

'^Then, because the church has been un- 
fortunate in receiving into its membership a 
counterfeit, is it any reason why you should 
condemn the whole church? In Matthew 
7 : 22, 23, we read, ' Many will say to me in 
that day. Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied 
in thy name ? and in thy name have cast out 
devils ? and in thy name done many wonder- 
ful works ? And then will I [remember, it is 
Jesus Christ who speaks] profess unto them, I 
never knew you : depart from me, ye that 
work iniquity.' 

*'My friend, I am going to bid you good 
night ; but there is one thing you cannot keep 
me from doing. I am going into my berth and 
there kneel and ask our Heavenly Father to 
water the seed sown to-night. ' ' 

'^Well," he said, '^that's all right; you can 

just do as you please about that." 

91 



Winning Men One by One 

I bade him good-nigbt, for it was then about 
twelve o'clock. The next morning at about 
seven, a friend who was accompanying me had 
risen early and was sitting looking out of the 
car window and humming over some hymn- 
tunes. The gentleman with whom I had 
talked the night before asked him if he would 
lend him a hymn-book. Thus it happened 
that while I was kneeling in prayer that morn- 
ing, I heard from the end of the car, the words 
of the Glory Song — 

*' When aU my labors and trials are o'er, 
And I am safe on that beautiful shore, 
Just to be near the dear Lord I adore, 
Will through the ages be glory for me/' 

I hurriedly dressed and going down to the 
end of the car, said: 

*'Well, friend, how is it that you are 
singing that beautiful hymn this morn- 
ing?" 

He told me that the five-dollar bill had kept 
92 



A Traveler Seeking Souls 

him awake all night ; that the Lord had visited 
him, and that now he felt like a diflferent man, 
and was going home and back into the 
church. 

Then we sang hymns of praise while we 
traveled nearly forty miles. The porter (who 
had only two weeks before buried his wife) 
came along and we invited him to join us. 
He replied very much as did the man who was 
now singing with me. I asked him if he had 
found anybody more reliable than the Lord 
Jesus Christ, and if he had not found men 
very unreliable. He said this was so. Then 
I told him that the first convert won by per- 
sonal work was the Ethiopian eunuch. 

After reading some Scripture, we all knelt 
together and had a short prayer-service, and 
the porter confessed Jesus Christ. 

June 20, 1906, 12 P.M. 
Age 38. 



93 



Winning Men One by One 

With a Catholic Bishop 

WHILE returning from Baltimore, I 
saw a gentleman who looked like a 
priest, and approached him. 

^'Pardon me, sir," I began, *'it may look 
rather presumptuous for me to talk to you 
without having been introduced." 

He said that he was very glad to make my 
acquaintance. 

''I never ride in a car without trying to 
learn something from those with whom I 
come in contact," I told him, then continued : 
'^ Have you any objection to telling me which 
chapter in the Bible is the most interesting 
reading to you?" 

He replied that the 13th chapter of ist Cor- 
inthians was his favorite chapter. 

I said that this was a favorite of my own, 

and quoted several verses. Then I added, 

^^We may differ somewhat in the form of 

worship, but it is a fact that the same Jesus 

94 



A Traveler Seeking Souls 

Christ whom you love and whom your church 
serves is my Lord and Master, and the same 
Devil that you are fighting, I, too, am daily 
trying to conquer/' 

He replied by giving me a hearty shake of 
the hand, at the same time saying: 

* * You are entirely right. I want to thank 
you for making yourself acquainted. If more 
people were as free and open as you have 
been, the walls of demarcation between Catho- 
lics and Protestants would soon be broken 
down." 

Then, extending to me a cordial invitation 
to call upon him the first time that I visited 
his city, he gave me his card. To my sur- 
prise, I found I had been talking to one of 
the great prelates of the Catholic Church, a 
Bishop whose name is known all over the 
United States. I have since received a most 
friendly letter from him, which I prize very 
highly. 

95 



Winning Men One by One 

A Champion Middle-weight Pugilist 

DURING a visit to Canada, while at a 
service where over seven thousand peo- 
ple were gathered to hear two great evangel- 
ists, I saw an athletic looking fellow sitting 
in the third row of seats. Leaving the plat- 
form, I approached him and said: 

' ' My friend, are you a Christian ? " 

' ' Well, I guess not ! None of that for me !' ' 

''Well, you are an athlete !" 

"How did you know that?'^ 

''You look like one. I am something of 
an amateur athlete myself, and I want to 
shake hands with you ! ' ' 

Soon the way was open for me to say: 

"You know the difference between right 
and wrong? And you are willing to follow 
where the right leads ? Yes ? Well, the right 
leads you to kneel down here and pray." 

After hesitating for a few seconds, he knelt 
down, and I led in prayer. When I asked 

96 



A Traveler Seeking Souls 

him to pray, he said he did not know how, so 
I dictated a prayer ; he followed my words. 
Then we rose and I asked him if he would 
confess Jesus Christ. 

*'Yes, God helping me, I will," he said 
earnestly. 

After I had quoted several passages of Scrip- 
ture, he said: 

''I am the champion middle-weight pugilist 
of Canada, and it seems strange that you should 
open up the Scriptures to where my profession 
is mentioned, at 2 Timothy 4:7, 'I have 
fought a good fight.' '^ 

He promised me that he would be at the meet- 
ing on the Sunday evening following. Then, 
when the invitation to accept Christ was given, 
he stood up and said to those around him : 

'' Friends, yon all know who I am, my name 

is ; and I am the champion middle-weight 

pugilist of Canada. I have fought sixty fights 

and won fifty-five, but, thank God, Mr. Wood 

97 



Winning Men One by One 

came to my rescue and pointed out to me that 
God wants me to fight a good fight ; and while 
I have stood out against my antagonists in the 
ring for more than fifty rounds, this one verse 
of Scripture knocked me out in one round." 

A few days after he had thus accepted Christ 
he was persuaded to leave Canada and go west 
and take a course of study in a Bible Institute. 
This was made possible by a Christian man. 
During his stay in the Institute he was in- 
vited to speak in various churches and in 
the Cook County Jail. One Sunday, while 
testifying for his Saviour, thirty-five of the 
prisoners raised their hands for prayer and 
confessed Jesus openly. 

It was one of the greatest days of his life ; 
he thanked God for the hour that one of His 
ambassadors sought him out from a crowd 
and pointed him to the Lamb of God. 

Friday, June 22, 1906, 9 : 10 p. m. 
Age zi' 

98 



A Traveler Seeking Souls 

Convincing an Infidel 

BEFORE making an evening address for 
an out-of-town friend, he invited me 
to visit his manufacturing plant where a 
large number of men were at work. While 
we were passing through one of the corridors, 
I noticed perhaps a hundred men gathered 
about a speaker, who was making an infidel 
appeal. After listening to him a few moments, 
I said : 

*' Pardon me, sir, is it not bad enough for 
you to believe in such things yourself, without 
telling them to the young men about you?'' 

' ^ Oh, yes ! " he answered. * ^ You are one 
of the men who reads that book called the 
Bible, which I don't believe in." 

I said that I loved to read the Bible, as it 
contains truths that can be found in no other 
book, and added : 

*'I presume you believe in Shakespeare? 
99 



Winning Men One by One 

Yes ? Did you ever see the great poet ? You 
never shook him by the hand? You have 
never been to Stratford and looked into the 
garden at his old home, and seen the flowers 
that the immortal bard planted? Yet you 
believe in him ! Well, do you believe in 
Emerson ? ' ' 

''Yes," he replied, *'and Emerson ex- 
presses many thoughts in keeping with my 
own." 

''Well, I have never come across better 
thoughts of the kind than those that I have 
read in one of Emerson's essays, where he 
says, ' If a man walk with God his voice shall 
be as sweet as the murmur of the brook and 
the rustle of the corn. ' ' ' 

When he said he had never read that part, I 
continued: 

" No, you never do read those things which 

brighten the lives of the readers and make 

them go on life's pathway rejoicing. You say 

loo 



A Traveler Seeking Souls 

you believe in Shakespeare and Emerson, yet 
you frankly admit that you never had any 
acquaintance or conversation with them, that 
you have never seen them, and that your only 
knowledge of them is given to you by the 
authors of these books, who don't claim to be 
inspired ; and yet when I bring before you the 
Book of Books, you claim that you don't be- 
lieve its contents. It has been my pleasure, 
during the past year, to deal personally with 
doctors, lawyers, professors, millionaires, edi- 
tors, gamblers, burglars, drunkards, prize-fight- 
ers, sailors and many others. Drunkards have 
accepted Christ and have been returned to 
their families, and are to-day living for their 
loved ones and caring for their homes. Gam- 
blers have ceased their pernicious habits and 
are to-day protecting their families and caring 
for them as dutiful husbands and fathers. 
Others to whom I have talked have become 
good citizens and are connected with the 

lOI 



Winning Men One by One 

church and are living godly lives. You will 
admit with me, sir, that, this being the case, 
I have done no harm to them. ' ' 

He admitted that I was quite right. 

''Well, if I have not done them any harm, 
surely there has been a great deal of good 
accomplished ? ' ' 

''Yes, that is so." 

"Now, suppose for the sake of argument 
that there is no Christ, and that I pass away 
from this world. I am just as well off as you 
are, am I not?'' 

" You certainly are." 

' ' Suppose there be a Christ, and you pass 
away; do you not think you take very great 
risks ? ' ' 

When we finished our conversation a little 
later, he took me by the hand and said : 

'I never heard the question put in this 
way ; you have done me much good, and have 
convinced me that I am wrong in my views. 

I02 



A Traveler Seeking Souls 

I shall from this time try to correct my mis- 
takes. ' ^ 

He did not there and then accept Christ, 
nor did he give any evidence of having been 
bom again, but information has been received 
from the man in whose business he holds a 
prominent position, that he does not tell any 
more obscene stories, that his profanity has 
ceased, and that he never argues the point of 
Christianity, but is inclined to encourage those 
who speak of uniting with the church. 

June 30, 1906, 7 : 40 p. m. 
Age 38. 



A Converted Thief 

ONE Sunday evening while I was mak- 
ing an address to a large body of 
men in a Philadelphia mission hall, a young 
man stepped to the platform and asked if he 

could have a private interview after the serv- 

103 



Winning Men One by One 

ice. After the rest of the men had gone, I 
asked him if he was a Christian. He said that 
he was not, but that he wanted to be, and that 
he was willing to go to prison and serve a sen- 
tence if he could be a child of God and a free 
man. After conversing with him a short time 
I took out my Bible, read a few verses, and 
asked him if he would take Jesus Christ as 
his Saviour, and confess Him before men. He 
said he would, that he had had no peace 
for several months ; that he was haunted by a 
tormenting conscience, but was willing to do 
anything to be right with God. We had 
prayer together, after which he told me his 
story. 

He said that he had left a Western city 
where he had been employed by a man who 
had the most implicit confidence in him. He 
absconded with a large sum of money, wan- 
dered from city to city, and spent the stolen 

money with evil companions. When the 

104 



A Traveler Seeking Souls 

money was gone, he made his next journey 
on the trucks of a railway car. When he 
reached Philadelphia, friendless and home- 
less, he wandered into the religious meeting. 
He then asked if I would write a letter to the 
officials of his home city and tell them that he 
had found Jesus Christ, and was willing to go 
back and go to prison. 

Taking him at his word, I wrote, and dis- 
covered, on the following Thursday, that his 
story was absolutely true. Detectives came 
to see about taking him into custody. I told 
them that he would appear on Sunday evening 
at the meeting, if he was true to his promise, 
and asked them to meet me at the hall. 

I was speaking to the men that Sunday 
evening when I saw the converted thief, sit- 
ting in the front row. Leaving the platform, 
I went to the young man, and said: 

* ' Do you mean what you stated last Sun- 
day?'' 

105 



Winning Men One by One 

'' I meant every word I said ; I want to go 
to prison and serve my term, for I know Jesus 
Christ will go with me,'* was the firm answer. 

*'Then follow me,'' I said. 

And as the man, so soon to be a prisoner, 
walked down the room with me, the congrega- 
tion began to sing: 

** Jesus knows all about our troubles, 
He will guide till the day is done, 
There^s not a friend like tbe lowly Jesus, 
No, not one, no, not one.'* 

As we reached the door, we met three 
detectives ; they at once made the arrest. 

''Detectives," I said, ''before you take this 
man away, I would like you to come down- 
stairs. ' ' They said they would be very glad 
to accompany me. When we were by our- 
selves, we knelt down and I prayed, one of the 
detectives prayed, and the prisoner prayed. 
The young man was then taken to the City 

Hall and locked up. 

io6 



A Traveler Seeking Souls 

One of the detectives became so much inter- 
ested in the prisoner that he wrote west in 
his interest, speaking of his intentions to live 
a godly life, and asking for leniency in his 
case. In consequence, the defrauded employer, 
who was a Christian, did not push the case, 
and the judge waived sentence. I have in- 
formation that the young man is to-day leading 
a respectable life, and is holding a prominent 
position in the city from which he absconded. 
Sunday, October 7, 1907, 8 : 30 p. m. 



At the Railway Station 

I WAS spending a few days with some rel- 
atives in the country, and went out for 
a walk of several miles. While passing the 
railroad station, I saw two young men sitting 
in the ticket office. After passing the time 

of day with them, I found they were well 

107 



Winning Men One by One 

acquainted with a dear friend. This opened 
the way for further conversation. Then I told 
them that I had just been out walking, as I 
believed in bodily exercise ; and I quoted the 
words of Paul : ^ ' Bodily exercise profiteth little : 
but godliness is profitable unto all things, hav- 
ing promise of the life that now is, and of that 
which is to come." 

The quotation interested them, and I con- 
tinued: 

'* Doubtless you have read of the great 
wrestler named Yousof, the terrible Turk, 
who came over to the United States, meeting 
every wrestler that he could find, and, con- 
quering them all, returned to his home by the 
French steamer La Bourgoyne, having much 
gold hidden in his belt. In mid-ocean this ves- 
sel w^as struck by another large steamer and was 
nearly cut in twain. All hands were requested 
to take to the life-boats, and if they had 

any possessions, to leave them on board the 

io8 



A Traveler Seeking Souls 

sinking ship, as nothing was wanted in the 
life-boat but human freight. Yousof cried 
out in great distress, '' I cannot, oh! I cannot 
give up my gold ! ' ' He was told that he must 
either give up this gold or remain on the now 
fast-sinking ship. He refused to give up the 
gold, so the life-boat pulled away. Yousof 
and his gold went to the bottom of the sea 
together.-' 

Thus the way was made ready for quoting 
the solemn question, *'What shall it profit a 
man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose 
his own soul ? Or what shall a man give in 
exchange for his soul ? ' ' 

Then one of the young men told me that he 

was a member of the church, while the other said 

that he had never attended church very much, 

that he had been very careless, yet believed in 

Jesus Christ, and that he had seen many of 

his friends who had once lived wicked lives 

begin to live pure and godly lives. He often 

109 



Winning Men One by One 

felt that he ought to go into the church, but 

the influence of bad companions kept him out. 

We had prayer together. As I turned to 

go I gave him a Testament with some marked 

verses, and requested the Christian man who 

worked with him to ask his own pastor to call 

upon his friend and urge him to become a 

member of the church. 

Thursday, May i6, 1907, 12 135 p. m. 
Age 20. 

In the G3minasium 

WHILE visiting a friend in Bufialo, 
we went into a gymnasium to play 
tenpins. After a few games, my friend went 
out, when the young man who set up the 
pins, an athletic looking fellow, came near 
me. I spoke admiringly of his build and 
asked him his weight ; soon I could say : 
^*I presume you belong to the King's 

family? " 

no 



A Traveler Seeking Souls 

**0h, no; I am not a member of that 
family ! ' * 

''Did you ever think of the influence you 
would have if you were a surrendered man ? ' * 

''No, I have never thought of it in just 
that way, ' ' he replied. 

Of course, I could not let him go without 
telling him of the love of Jesus Christ, and 
how He died for sinners and is constantly 
pleading with us to accept and obey Him. 

" You believe in Jesus Christ, do you not ? " 
I asked. " Yes? Then you ought to let the 
world know just where you stand." 

We went into a little room adjoining the 
bowling-alley, and there knelt in prayer. 
After we had finished, and he had said he 
would live a Christian life, he looked into my 
face and said : 

"This is a wonderful day for me, and I 

thank God that you and your friend came in 

to exercise this morning.'' 
Ill 



Winning Men One by One 

A few weeks later he joined the church, 

and has become quite a student of the Bible. 

He is now rejoicing with unspeakable joy. 

Buffalo, Friday, March 29, 1907, 
II 130 A. M. Age 34. 



The Conversion of a Drunkard 

WHII^E riding on a street-car, I saw 
a man who seemed to be very de- 
spondent. I asked him why he seemed so sad. 
He told a very pathetic story as to his private 
life. When he stepped from the car, I gave 
him my card. A few days later he called on me 
and said that he had very little hope that he 
could be saved from a drunkard's grave. Next 
evening I called at his home and found him 
confined to his bed, raving from strong drink. 
The dear old mother by his side listened 

while I read the Bible and prayed. When I 

112 



A Traveler Seeking Souls 

had finished, I asked the son to pray, **God 
be merciful to me a sinner." 

He then and there accepted Jesus Christ, 
and promised to confess Him before men. 

Two days later I found him standing on my 
own doorstep, dressed nicely and looking like 
a different man. I invited him in, and asked 
him to kneel and lead in prayer. 

God has wonderfully blessed the life of this 
man, for he is now engaged in religious work 
and has been the instrument of winning hun- 
dreds of souls for the Master. 
Thursday, 1898, 8 : 40 p.m. 



The Man with a Dog 

WHILE waiting for a train in a Philadel- 
phia station, I saw a man holding a 
dog by a chain. 

** That's rather 4 nice dog you have ! '' was 

the remark that opened a conversation with 

113 



Winning Men One by One 

him, a conversation that continued until my 
train was called. Then I found we were 
waiting for the same train. We took a seat 
together, and continued our conversation. 

After talking of the dog, I spoke of the way 
such a pet becomes almost like one of the 
family, and asked him if he had a family. He 
told me of his wife and two children. 

** Have you ever thought of the day coming 
when your children and you must separate?" 

Surprised, he said: *'No, sir, I have never 
thought of such a thing." 

Now the way was open. I told him of my 
own children, and said we need not fear 
separation, because of our love for Christ 
Jesus and his love for us. 

He became thoughtful. Then he said : '' I 

haven't studied the Bible much ; I have very 

rarely attended church. But I am going to 

read the Bible and go to church hereafter. 

And I thank you for what you have said." 

114 



A Traveler Seeking Souls 

My station was reached. Our conversation 
was necessarily short, — we were together in the 
seat only eight minutes. But the time was 
long enough to drive home the message. 



A Police Officer 

ONE morning I took a seat in the train 
by the side of a policeman. His hand 
was held in such a position that a crippled 
finger was plainly seen. 

''Good morning, Officer ! " I greeted him. 
' *I see that you and I belong to the same family ; 
I also have a crooked finger, the result of ball- 
playing." 

*' So you play ? " he said. '' I do, too." 
'' Yes, I played ball ; and I always took 
pride in playing a clean game. Another 
thing : I always took pride in showing my 

colors ; I wasn't ashamed of my team." 

IIS 



Winning Men One by One 

There was a look of comprehension on his 
face. 

** I think I know what you are driving at," 
he said. ''I have been playing a clean game 
for just one year now. So we're members of 
another family, you see. Thank you for what 
you've said. As a young Christian, I find it 
rather inspiring to talk about these things." 



Interesting the Conductor 

SOME time ago, while riding in a street- 
car in a Western city, the conductor, 
while receiving my fare, said: 
' ' Did you hear of the fight ? " 
^*No," I answered, '*I have not heard of 
the fight, but I have read of the fight." 

* * Why, the papers have not yet received the 
news. How could you read about it? " 

*^ Well, I have quite an account of the fight 
ii6 



A Traveler Seeking Souls 

in a little book I have in my pocket,'' I in- 
sisted. And, taking my Testament, I turned 
to z Timothy 4: 7, 8, and read, '* I have fought 
a good fight, I have finished my course, I have 
kept the faith : henceforth there is laid up for 
me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, 
the righteous judge, shall give me at that day : 
and not to me only, but unto all them also 
that love his appearing." 

*'That is not the kind of fight I was speak- 
ing about,'' the conductor said. 

''No, but that is the kind of fight I am 
talking about." Then he went on through 
the car. 

After he had finished taking the fares, he re- 
turned and asked if I wouldn't put that verse 
down on a card for him. I left a few parting 
words with him about Jesus Christ, and urged 
him to receive Him as his Saviour. I do not 
know the result of that brief conversation ; 

but I tried to make the best of the opportunity. 

117 



Scripture Verses 
Help to me in 

Proverbs ii 130 
Daniel 12 13 
Psalm 126 15, 6 
James 5 : 19, 20 
Matthew 7 : 16, 20 
Mark 4 : 20 
Psalm 121 : 4, 5 
Psalm 39 : 4, 7 
Hebrews 12 : 25, 28 
Isaiah 27 : 3 
2 Peter i : 20, 21 
2 Timothy 3 : 16, 17 
Revelation 21 :4, 8 
Isaiah 26 : 3 
I John 5 : 13 
I Peter 4:11 
I Peter 3 : 15, 16 
James 4 : 17 
James 3 : 17 
Isaiah 53 : 4, 5 



that have Been a Great 
Doing Personal Work 

Hebrews 4 : 12 
Hebrews 2 : 3 
Isaiah 55 : 6, 11 
Titus 2 :7, 8, 12, 15 
2 Timothy i : 12 
I Timothy 4 :ii, 12 
Philippians 4 : 19 
Isaiah 52 : 7 
Galatians 6 : 7, 8 
I Corinthians 12 13 
I Corinthians 10 : 13 
I Corinthians 9 : 22 
John 5 : 24, 39 
Hebrews 7 : 25 
Matthew 11 128, 29, 30 
Jude I : 24 
1 Peter 5 : 7 
Jeremiah 15 : 16 
Deuteronomy ^^ : 25 



119 



IViAH 9 1908 



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